


I'll See You Soon (Kuroken - Hospital AU)

by OhSnapCiderIsFizzy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Haikyuu!! AU Week, M/M, Manga & Anime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27792352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhSnapCiderIsFizzy/pseuds/OhSnapCiderIsFizzy
Summary: Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, they are from an anime called "Haikyuu" by Haruichi Furudate.Kenma had the scare of his life. He was told by his doctor that he had thyroid cancer when he spotted a small lump on his neck. But no worries, he was lucky that he spotted it earlier, or he would probably be in terrible agony. He had a surgery to get it removed, and the day he got to the hospital, he met a tall boy with a bed hair, Kuroo. Kuroo's been in the hospital for a few months from a disease that currently had no known cure, and it was tiring him. His dad was always busy, he blamed himself for her mother's death in a car accident, and didn't have many friends that visited him. But when he met Kenma, he wasn't lonely. But Kenma would be in and out within a few days, which upset Kuroo, but they had to make it last.Note: I originally posted this onto Wattpad. I just joined AO3, and I wanted to expand my platform, so I'm here to post this on here! Check out my Wattpad, please! @OhSnapCiderIsFizzyAlso!! This story was inspired by the anime "Your Lie In April!" If you haven't watched that anime, please go watch it, it's so good!! qwq
Relationships: Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Kudos: 10





	I'll See You Soon (Kuroken - Hospital AU)

It was the middle of winter, and Kenma's parents just left his hospital room. His mother wanted to stay over for the night, but Kenma insisted and said he'd rather be alone. His parents let him, and left for the evening. 

Kenma's dinner was gonna be served soon, but he wanted some soda. He rummaged through his bag and looked for his small coin purse. When he found it, he put on his slippers and slowly walked to the vending machines.

There was another boy in front of the vending machine, and he was a little over 6 feet, a black bed hair, and brown eyes. 

Kenma stood behind him, but something seemed a little off about the tall boy. He had his left hand leaning on the vending machine, and his right hand grabbing onto his chest, and it looked like he was in pain. His skin also looked a bit pale.

"Hey, um... Are you okay?" Kenma spoke up.

Kuroo got alerted and turned around and acted like nothing happened.

"Oh! Sorry about that. I was just getting some tea..." He apologized.

"You can take your time." Kenma told him.

"Thank you." Kuroo turned back around and frowned from the pain again.

He got some warm tea from the vending machine and went to a small lounge area with couches and other patients around. Kuroo was falling into deep thoughts and was afraid of what the future will bring him.

Shortly, Kenma joined him. He sat down a few feet away from him and drank his soda.

"Hey, am I allowed to use my phone here?" Kenma quietly asked Kuroo.

"Oh, yeah. The WiFi password is on the wall if you need it." He pointed to a sign that said that phones were allowed in the lounge area, and under was the password.

"Thanks." He took out his phone, put in the WiFi password, and started playing games.

Kuroo was taking a sip of his tea, and took a peak down on Kenma's phone. 

"What's that you're playing?" 

"It's called Hearthstone." 

"What's that about?"

"It involves cards, and you just need really good strategy and skills. You also need a bit of luck."

"I see..." He took another sip.

Kuroo scooted a bit closer to see him play. He gazed onto his phone screen and remembered he never knew his name.

"Hey, I never got to know this, but what's your name?" Kuroo asked.

"It's Kozume... Kenma Kozume."

"I'm Kuroo Tetsuro. How old are you? I'm 17."

"16."

"Oh, so I'm one year older than you." He grinned. "By the way, I don't think I've seen you around. Did you just come in?"

"Yeah. I have thyroid cancer after I saw a lump on my neck. I'm having surgery tomorrow to get it removed. I'll be out of here in a few days." He said.

Kuroo was a bit disappointed to hear that. I mean, he was happy that he'll get a surgery that will be good for him, but Kenma was someone he actually had somewhat of a conversation with, and he upset to find out he'll only be here for a few days.

"How about you?" Kenma put down his phone.

"Ah... About that... I've actually been here for a few months now..."

"How?"

"I have a disease that has no know cure at the moment... But the doctors said I'll be okay." Kuroo tried to let out a small smile with the little energy he had left.

Kenma didn't know what to say. He's been told many things, but never has he been told by someone they had a heart disease in person. He didn't even know how long exactly, but he probably had less than a month left now.

"What's it called?" Kenma asked nervously.

"It's called Friedreich's ataxia. It causes chest pains, parallelization, loss in color of your skin, hair, eyes... Something like that..."

Kenma didn't know how to respond again, and just nodded.

"Is there anything else you enjoy?" Kuroo asked.

"I wouldn't say 'enjoy'... But I've played volleyball for a bit."

Kuroo was surprised when he heard that, since he also played volleyball for a bit.

"Really? I used to play, too! Well, until this... But it was something I genuinely enjoyed." He grinned. "What position were you?"

"Setter. You?" Kenma looked up.

"Middle blocker. I was hoping to be the team captain one day, but it didn't happen... But it's okay!"

They ended up talking for a long time and even though they didn't have that much in common, they got along pretty well. They were both getting really interested in each other's lives, and they were pretty much friends at that point.

"Well, I think I'll go off to my room now." Kuroo got up.

"I think I will, too." Kenma also got up.

"Oh, okay."

They started walking in the same direction, and they were confused and a bit surprised.

When Kenma got to his room, Kuroo found out that his room was only two rooms away.

"This is your room?"

"Yeah. Is your's around here?" 

"Yeah, mines just two rooms away." He pointed into the direction of his room. "You can visit anytime, by the way."

Kenma gave him a small smile.

"Okay, see you." He waved.

"Yeah, I'll see you." Kuroo then walked to his room.

Soon, night fell and it was hard for both Kenma and Kuroo to fall asleep. Kenma couldn't sleep from the change of environment, and Kuroo couldn't stop thinking about Kenma.

Darn, I should have asked him for his number... Kuroo thought to himself. 

I wish I asked him for his phone number... Kenma thought the same thing.

It was difficult for the both of them to fall asleep, but after hours of being restless, they eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, it was a snowy day, and Kenma's parents visited him in his room.

"How was it last night?" His mother asked.

"I couldn't sleep..."

"Thought so... Did you try to sleep early like I told you? Since today's the day of your surgery." She said.

"Yeah. It was still difficult." His mom sighed.

"It's okay. You'll be asleep during the surgery anyways..." She petted his head.

Kenma wasn't showing it much, but he was still really nervous. The surgery wasn't a small one and it was kind of a big deal that he had cancer. What scared him most was that if it wasn't discovered, he would be going through a much more difficult time.

"Your surgery isn't gonna start until another hour. Anything you wanna do before it?"

"Actually... There was this guy I met yesterday after you guys left. I might go talk to him."

His parents were surprised to find out he's already made a friend. Since he had social anxiety and had little to know friends as a kid.

"Oh, really? Then you can go see him." His father said.

He slowly got up, got his slippers on, and slowly walked over.

When Kenma left, his mother broke down and burst into tears. 

"I hope everything will be okay..." She cried.

"It'll be okay... I promise... We spotted it early enough to get it removed. So it'll be okay." Her husband wrapped her in his arms and comforted her.

When Kenma was slowly walking over to his room, there were nurses rushing towards his room. Kenma stopped for a second and feared that was going on. He opened the door slightly and peaked in.

There were several nurses and a few doctors around him, trying to save him. He could only see Kuroo's waist and below because there was a curtain covering the top half of his body and other nurses around him.

He was in cardiac arrest.

He heard heavy breathing, and the bed was shaking a bit. He saw Kuroo's tight grip on the side rail on the bed and his hand slipped off. Kenma's body went numb. Was it because he was worried for Kuroo? Or was it because he was about to witness something terrible? He didn't know, but either way, it was terrifying.

Kenma was gonna go back to his room, but when he was about to open the door, he saw his mother crying. He didn't want to embarrass her, so he just went to the bathroom, trying to process what the hell is going on.

He turned on the sink and rinsed his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and just had empty thoughts. He leaned on the sink counter and didn't know how to take it all in.

He was about to have a breakdown, when the bathroom's entrance door opened.

It was Kuroo.

"Kuroo? Are you okay?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" He acted like nothing happened again.

"I... Didn't mean to look. But when I was gonna go to your room to ask you something, there were a bunch of nurses and doctors trying to save you..."

"Oh... That?" He let out a chuckle. "It's... Nothing... Sometimes my heart randomly stops beating... But I'm okay now." His body seemed weak.

"Does it happen often..?"

"This was like my... Maybe fourth time... Maybe fifth... At first, it was kinda scary, but I think I've gotten used to it."

"Does it just happen randomly?"

"Yeah. Sometimes it happens when I'm walking and it's dreadful... But this time, it happened when I was in bed, so it wasn't that bad." He smiled.

Kuroo was acting like it was nothing and if it was normal. He knows damn well he doesn't have much time, and Kenma understood he's trying to stay strong, but it just didn't feel right.

"Oh, and didn't you say you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yeah... I have my surgery soon, and I was wondering if you wanted to hangout?" Kenma politely asked.

"Oh, sure!" Kuroo agreed.

There wasn't much to do in a hospital, but they walked around the halls, grabbed drinks from vending machines, told each other jokes, and tried to make it last.

Kuroo was exhausted and wanted to let his body rest, but he wanted to spend more time with Kenma. 

"Oh, by the way, I never got your number, is it okay if you give me yours?" Kuroo asked and he took out his phone from his pocket.

"Sure." He said and he put his digits in.

"Last night, I was a little upset I didn't get your number earlier..." Kuro admitted.

Kenma was surprised to hear that, since he thought the same thing.

"I was too..."

There was a moment of silence as they were both startled, but they smiled to each other.

While they were roaming the halls of the hospital that was filled with the scent of medicines, disinfecting cleaning products, etc. Kenma's mom came rushing over to the two of them. 

"Kozume!"

"Mom."

"I've been looking for you-- you have to get your IV inserted for at least thirty minutes."

Kenma sighed. It was only 9:25, and he didn't want to go back. He wasn't ready, and he was kinda nervous.

"You must be the guy he was talking about... Hi, I'm Kozume's mom. You are..?"

"Ah, my name is Kuroo Tetsuro." He bowed slightly. "It's a pleasure meeting you." 

Kuroo had good manners and was a gentleman.

"It's nice meeting you, too. But Kozume and I have to get ready for his surgery... So if you'll excuse us..." She grabbed Kenma by his wrist and dragged away.

"Bye, Kuroo." He quietly said and waved.

"Bye. Good luck." He smiled and waved back.

When Kenma looked away, his smile faded. Kuroo stood there for a few minutes before going back to his room. He sat down on his bed, looking out the window.

He saw that it was snowing.

He stared at each snow particle as they fell, and the grey sky was kinda pretty to look at. He wishes he was one of them. He wishes he was just some snowflake that would only exist for a short period of time and just melt. If he was some snowflake, he would melt pretty quick and he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Soon enough, he heard Kenma getting carried away into the surgery room in his be from the squeaky wheels.

He hoped that it was gonna go well for him. 

He's been staring out the window for a few hours now, and he was served lunch. Hospital food didn't taste the best, but he couldn't complain, and he's gotten used to them.

About an hour after lunch, it stopped snowing and he was laying down, not doing anything but just staring into the ceiling. He was gonna get up to do something "productive," but his legs wouldn't budge. He couldn't move them suddenly. He was struggling to move them, when he heard the door open. It was his sister.

"How'd you know I was here..?" Kuroo asked.

"How could I not know about my little brother being hospitalized? I've known, but I didn't have time until today to come over. How're you doing?" She asked.

"It's been alright..." He answered.

His sister was happy to see him, but she could feel a thousand emotions rushing in. She was aware of his condition, and when she heard, she cried for hours. 

"How's dad?" She sat down on a stool next to his bed.

"He's been kinda busy. The last time I saw him was probably two weeks ago."

His sister wanted to break down right then and there, but she was the older sister, and couldn't possibly show him her weak side.

"So... You've been alone this entire time?"

"Not exactly. Just yesterday, I met a boy around my age and I think we're getting alone. He's in surgery right now, though. And he'll be out the hospital in a few days..."

"Oh... It's nice to hear that you have a little bit of company here."

"Yeah." Kuroo chuckled.

It went silent for a bit. It's been a while since they've seen each other, and it was kinda awkward, even though they were siblings.

"Oh, I totally forgot-" She reached down to a bag she brought with her. "Here, I bought some orange juice on the way." She opened the box and took out a bottle for him.

"Ah, you didn't have to." He said and took the bottle out of her hand, but he dropped it. "I- I'm sorry! My grip wasn't tight enough, I guess." He chuckled nervously.

"It's okay. Here." She picked it back up for him. "Do you know how much longer you have to stay here for?"

She knew it wasn't just from loose grip, though.

"I don't know... The surgery I had about a month ago was a success but I'm not sure if it's gonna do anything..."

"I hope you'll get better soon..."

"Thanks..." He hoped he'll get better, even though there is no known cure at the moment. "By the way, have you checked up on mom recently?" His sister sighed.

"Yeah. I visited her before coming here. She's doing well. I left her some flowers, too."

"That's good to hear..."

Kuroo still blames himself to this day for his mother's death, and even though his family told him it's not, it wasn't working, and he continued to feel guilty for something he didn't even do.

After about 20 minutes, it was time for her to go. They said their goodbyes, and Kuroo was alone again. Kenma's surgery wasn't done yet. He understood that it was a cancer surgery and it could take long, but it felt like forever.

But that forever was soon over. He heard a bed rolling in. He peaked out his room and saw the bed go into his room. He was praying that it went alright. 

He decided to wait about an hour before going to see him. He wanted to give him time to recover and wake up. In the meantime, he wanted to get some sleep, since he barely got any from the previous night.

He fell asleep pretty quickly. After knowing that Kenma was out the surgery room and his sister coming to visit made him feel a bit relieved and that helped him fall asleep better.

About three hours later, he was woken up to the sound of knocking.

"Come in." He yawned.

When the door opened, he was surprised to see that it was Kenma.

"Kenma! You're back! So? How did it go?" He got excited.

"It went well." He smiled slightly.

"That's great." He looked at the stitches on his neck, and he was just glad he was okay.

Even though they've only known each other for a day, Kenma was the first person who Kuroo made friends with, and Kuroo was one of the first person Kenma ever talked to and genuinely enjoyed when he first got here. 

"So... Were you informed on how long you'll be here for..?" Kuroo nervously asked and Kenma slowly nodded. "Oh, for how long?"

"Tomorrow's my last day..."

Kuroo could feel his heart drop.

"T-Tomorrow? How come?"

They've only known each other for a short period of time, but they already felt really attached to each other.

"The doctors said because I was young, I wouldn't need any further treatment other than just staying home and taking a rest. They're just telling me to stay one more day just in case."

Kuroo was about to say something, but then it was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Hey, hey, hey!! Kuroo! Long time no see!" A tall boy light and dark gray hair that was slicked up walked in. Behind him was another boy with black hair.

"Bokuto! What's up? Hi, Akaashi!" Kuroo tried to stay positive for his friends.

"I hope you're doing alright, Kuroo." Akaashi said.

"We bought melon!" Bokuto said. "Oh, and who's this?"

"I'm Kenma Kozume..." He introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Bokuto Kotaro. This is Akaashi Keiji, my best bro." 

"Nice to meet you." Akaashi said and did a small bow, and Kenma bowed back.

"Come, sit down!" Kuroo said.

"Alright!" Bokuto sat down on the side of Kuroo's bed, and Akaashi sat down on a stool.

Kenma was about to leave, since he thought he wouldn't really fit to be there, but Kuroo insisted and told him to stay.

It's been a while since Bokuto and Akaashi visited. They've been busy with school and volleyball practices, and they were just able to visit him since winter break started.

"So, how's it been? Feeling any better?" Bokuto asked with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, it's been alright." Kuroo said. "How's volleyball going?"

"It's been great! Hopefully we can make it to nationals!"

While Kuroo and Bokuto talked, Akaashi and Kenma have been silent for the most part. 

"I think I'll go get some drinks..." Kenma said and got up from his stool.

He went to the vending machine and grabbed some warm tea for the four of them. 

"Hey, does Kenma know..?" Bokuto asked Kuroo.

"No... I didn't want to tell him. Please don't tell him." Both Bokuto and Akaashi nodded.

Soon enough, Kenma was back with drinks and he handed the rest of them the tea.

"Thank you!" Bokuto said.

"Thank you." Akaashi said and took the tea out of Kenma's hands with both hands.

"No problem. Here you go, Kuroo."

Kenma reached his arm out again to hand it over. When Kuroo tried to take it, he was afraid he was gonna drop it again.

Why?

Because he was getting paralyzed and his condition was getting worse.

"Ah, I'm alright. You can have it." He chuckled.

A few more minutes pass, and visiting hours was over.

"We'll come again, is that okay?" Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kenma were by the doorway.

"Of course." Kuroo grinned and they said their goodbyes.

Kuroo's smile disappeared once that door shut. He leaned back and sighed.

When Kenma was out of his room, he went to the bathroom to take a breath. He usually didn't like being surrounded by people.

Akaashi saw, and he decided to follow.

"Bokuto, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." 

"Alright! I'll be waiting!" Bokuto grinned.

Akaashi followed Kenma into the bathroom and it was kind of awkward when they made eye contact. They barely talked and it wasn't like they were even that close. They were just acquaintances.

"Can I... Help you?" Kenma asked and Akaashi sighed.

"I'm sorry if this is a bit out of the blue... Kuroo told me not to tell you, but I thought that you should know, since it looks like you were his only genuine friend in this hospital."

"What is it?"

"Kuroo... He only has a month to live..."

Kenma froze. He was never informed of this, and it scared him. 

"A few months ago, he was told he won't be able to live long enough until his 17th birthday. The only way he was gonna make it to his 17th birthday was to take a surgery, which was risky. And even if was a success, it would only give him a little more time. But only a few days after he seemed like he was getting better, his health started getting bad again, and there are no signs of it getting any better. Please don't tell him I told you..."

Kenma could feel his world stop.

"He's been trying to live his life to the fullest, and he claims that once you know how much time you have left until you're gone, he said he started to appreciate everything and truly thought even the smallest things were beautiful. And just from the way he looked at you earlier, I can tell you're one of the best things that's ever happened to him."

He didn't know what to say. He was one of the best things that's ever happened to Kuroo?

"I don't know if he told you about this, but he's gotten paralyzed a couple of times. That's probably why he refused to take your drink. He didn't want to drop it... He's taken some therapy treatment for it, but it only lasts a little bit..."

Kenma only thought he didn't want to drink anything, but after finding out the real reason, which was a lot deeper than he thought, he could feel his body go cold.

"His skin also didn't use to be that pale. He was pretty tan. But after he got the disease, his skin started losing color. His eyes also started to get more dull as time went by..."

This was too much for Kenma to hold in all at once.

"I'm gonna have to get going now. Please, try to spend a lot of time with him..." Akaashi bowed and left the bathroom.

Kenma could feel his eyes become watery and he didn't know if it was because he felt valued by someone, or because he found out one of the first friends he made here was gonna die in a month.

He stood there for a few minutes before walking back to his room, where his parents were waiting for him.

"Hey, it took a little longer than expected." His mom said. 

He nodded, and his parents could tell he felt upset about something.

"Something wrong..?"

Kenma shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it.

"Do you want to be alone?"

Kenma nodded once again. His parents agreed to leave the hospital early. They knew he was overwhelmed with all the stress from everything that's going on.

"Okay, then. Call us if you need anything... We'll come to pick you up tomorrow." His mother smiled and they both left.

Kenma plopped down on his bed, and he felt like crying, but no tears were coming out. Kenma rarely cried, and this was no surprise to him. However, he needed to cry right now. He was gonna be out the hospital tomorrow and he didn't know what to do before saying his goodbyes. He was told to try to spend more time with him, but how? It was currently 3 PM, and he was out of this hospital in less than 24 hours. 

He then remembered. They exchanged numbers.

He quickly took out his phone to text him. He's not really supposed to use his phone, but he was using the room by himself, so he didn't see a problem.

Kenma, 3:07 PM

Hey, can we chat?

He didn't think it was the best approach, since when someone says that, it's usually a bad sign.

Kuroo struggled to get out his phone. It wasn't the first time getting paralyzed, but it was a lot stronger than the previous times.

Kuroo, 3:09 PM

Of course! What's up? 

Kenma, 3:09 PM

Nothing in particular... I just wanted to talk.

That made Kuroo's heart melt. He wanted to spend more time with Kenma before he left, but he didn't know how to approach it. But lucky for him, Kenma spoke up first.

Kuroo, 3:10 PM

Sure! That's fine with me!"

Their conversation was awkward and kinda silent at first, but they ended up telling each other funny stories, jokes, etc. and it was really making Kuroo feel better emotionally. 

They ended up talking for hours, and they even continued talking after eating dinner and late into the night.

It was now the next day. It was 9 AM and Kenma was packing up and getting ready to leave.

"Hey, mom. I'm gonna go visit Kuroo one last time."

"Sure, go ahead." She smiled. She was relieved that everything was alright

He made his way over to his room, and saw that he was sitting up, looking outside his window. When he opened the door, Kuroo looked in Kenma's direction and greeted him.

"Hey, Kenma!" He gave him a grin.

Kenma was about to say hi back, but then he noticed that he had bandages wrapped around his head.

"Hi... Why do you have bandages around your head?"

"Oh, this? I was walking down the hallway last night to go to the bathroom when I tripped on my own foot and fell. It's okay, though!" He laughed it off, but Kenma knew he was lying.

Kenma knew he didn't just trip and fall. If Akaashi didn't tell him about Kuroo getting paralyzed, he never would have guessed. But his legs gave up on him last night, and he hit his head when he fell.

"I'm glad to hear that you're okay..."

"Yeah..." His smile slowly faded. "So... You leaving now?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in a few days, though. I have to get my stitches removed anyways."

"Oh, that's right! I forgot about that." Kuroo was a bit relieved to hear that.

"You know... Even if I'm out of here, I'll still come to visit."

"Only if you want..."

Kuroo didn't want Kenma to visit him often. Although he wanted to get to know him more, he didn't want Kenma to visit just because he was some patient in a hospital.

"Kenma, It's time for you to go." His dad spoke just outside Kuroo's slightly opened door.

"Yeah, I'm coming..." He said. "Bye, Kuroo." He waved, and Kuroo waved back. It was a small and weak one, but they were looking forward to seeing each other again.

It's been almost a week since Kenma's left. But Kenma messaged Kuroo saying he'll be back to get his stitches removed and will be visiting him.

They tried to go during visiting hours, since that's the only time when Kenma could really visit. 

Once his stitches were removed, he went to Kuroo's room. As he was going by, he noticed that the room he once used was already occupied with someone else already. 

He knocked on the door and he heard Kuroo telling him to come on in. When he opened the door, he was sitting up on his bed and greeted him.

"Hey, Kenma! How are you doing?" Kuroo said.

The first thing Kenma noticed when he walked in was that Kuroo's skin became more pale. He didn't know if it really did become pale in a matter of days, or because it's been a long time and he couldn't tell.

"I'm doing good. How about you?"

"I'm alright." He responded, and Kenma went to go sit next to him. 

He also noticed that there was a wheelchair on the other side of Kuroo's bed. That wasn't there before.

"Is that a wheelchair..?"

"Oh, this? Yeah. It's been in this room a few times. My legs get paralyzed sometimes but it's okay. Some physical therapy will help me get through it, and then I'll be okay."

Kenma knew he was lying. Kuroo's condition was getting worse everyday.

"You wanna go outside?" Kenma asked.

"Sure!" Kuroo struggled to get on his wheelchair, but Kenma helped him.

"I'll push your wheelchair." He offered.

"Thanks, Kenma."

They were walking around the hospital, and went outside. They roamed around for a bit in silence, until Kuroo was the first to break the silence.

"Hey, Kenma?"

"Hm?"

"I'm having another surgery soon." Kuroo looked up to Kenma. "The doctors said it's probably gonna be a bit less risky, so I think I'll be okay."

Kenma got a little excited, but he knew there was no known cure at the moment, so he didn't know if it was something to get excited over at all in the first place.

"When is it?"

"It's in about a week."

Kenma planned to visit him a few more times before then. So if the surgery fails, he can at least spend some more time with him before hand.

"I wish you luck."

"Thanks!"

Kuroo turned back around, and he shed a tear. He wiped it away as soon as he could, but Kenma noticed. They could both feel their heart ache.

They tried to spend as much time as possible until it was time for Kenma to go.

Two days later, Kenma visited once again. But this time, Kuroo had breathing tubes in his nose.

"Hey, what's up, Kenma?" Kuroo said.

"I'm okay... You have breathing tubes now?"

"Oh, yeah... I lose my breath easily with my disease, but it's okay. It's only here to help me a little bit. It doesn't carry my life." 

His condition was getting worse and worse, and Kuroo knew his life was slipping away.

Kenma sat down next to his bed, and when Kuroo was about to open his mouth to say something, Kenma out his head down on Kuroo's lap and started crying without a word.

"K-Kenma..?"

He didn't respond.

Kuroo also started tearing up in silence, but didn't want to cry. He wiped his tears away and gently placed his hand on Kenma's head.

"I'm gonna be okay..."

A few hours later, Bokuto and Akaashi visited Kuroo again after Kenma left, so they didn't see each other.

"Hey, Kuroo!"

"Hey, Bokuto and Akaashi!"

They both said energetically, but Kuroo was getting tired.

"Has Kenma visited recently?" Bokuto asked.

"Yeah, he came a few days ago and ever since, he's been coming back everyday."

"Has he come today?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago."

"I see... Are you planning to tell him anytime soon?" 

"Hopefully..."

Akaashi was silent. He was almost always silent, but he felt guilty, since he was told not to tell Kenma anything, but he did.

They hung out until visiting hours was over, and Kuroo was all alone again.

He could feel hundreds of emotions rushing in. He didn't know what was gonna happen. He's asked millions of questions in his head that were always unanswered.

"Will I get to live?"

"Why me?"

"Will they forgive me?"

"Am I the only one hated by my own life?"

There were only a three days left until Kuroo's surgery, and Kenma visited everyday. But on his fourth day, he went to knock on Kuroo's door, but there was no response. There was a nurse going by, and she noticed.

"Oh, are you Kenma Kozume?" She asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"Sorry, Kuroo Tetsuro doesn't want any visitors at the moment. But he did leave a letter for you." She took it out her pocket and handed it to Kenma. He bowed and thanked her, which the nurse bowed back and went on her way.

When he opened the letter, there was some long writing.

"Hey, Kenma. Sorry but, I don't want you to visit me anymore. I don't know if it was obvious enough, but I've said several lies to you. I'm never gonna be okay. I lied to you when I said I'm undergoing surgery soon. I'm not. I lied when I said my breathing tube was just there to help me. It's literally carrying my life. I lied when I said the wheelchair is temporary. Physical therapy is barely working now. I lied when I said I tripped and hit my head. My feet became paralyzed and I fell. I've spent springs, summers, autumns, and winters in this hospital. I've been in and out the hospital ever since I started high school. During my middle school years, I only came to the hospital for checkups, but I never knew it would be permanent one day. I'm pretty sure you started to get on with what was really going on, but I hope you understand. At first, I knew I was gonna die and didn't care. But after you came into my life, I looked forward to my remaining days. You visit me more than my family does, and you truly are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I mean it. Living in this hospital made it difficult for me to find the meaning of life, and I thought I was breathing pointlessly. And even though you were in my life for only a little bit, I enjoyed life for a bit, knowing that you were here. I know people die at one point. Kids grow up into adults and fade away like dead leaves, but it was hard for me to get that into my head when I knew I'm not gonna grow up to be an adult. I could possibly die tomorrow. Everything might go to waste tomorrow. But everything was beautiful after you were here to comfort me when I needed it. I knew I was emotionally dead ever since I was forced to stay here. I couldn't feel any warmth or anything. I really hope one day I'll be really okay and meet you again one day. But until then, please don't visit me. I'll find you one day. I promise. We can look back to this memory another time. I'm running out of space to write now, and I don't like saying goodbyes, because saying several of them without really knowing the meaning of farewell seems dumb to me, but I'll just say... I love you..."

Kenma walked out that hospital without a word. He didn't look back or try to beg in front of his door. The last time he saw Kuroo really was the last time.

He read the letter one last time before walking away.

Kuroo told him he loved him. But Kenma didn't get to say it back.

He checked their text messages, but they were all gone.

Kuroo blocked him.

Kuroo sat in his room sobbing. He had to push him away. He didn't want Kenma to see him like that.

He tried watching some TV that was in his room for distractions, but it didn't work.

He sat down on his bed, staring into the TV screen, but not watching.

Someone always dies beyond some TV screen, and he was one of the people to be next up.

Kuroo continued to stare into nothingness when a certain name from the TV caught his attention.

Kenma Kozume.

He snapped out of it and realized what was going on.

Kenma passed before he did.

He was on a bus ride home when some other crook started beating other passengers and even stabbed them. Two other people were murdered along with Kenma.

He didn't know how to react. He was frozen in place. He said he'll come see him again one day. He said they'll meet again.

But not like this.

He now blames himself for Kenma's death.

If he didn't send him away, he would be alive.

If he didn't lie, he would still be alive.

If they never even met in the first place, he would still be alive.

Kuroo was now exhausted both emotionally and physically, and was ready to let his body rest.

He pulled out his breathing tubes.

He laid down.

And took his last breath.

"I'll see you soon..."


End file.
